Panasonic FH3 vs Sony A99

Let's look more closely at the Panasonic FH3 and Sony A99, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Advanced DSLR by rivals Panasonic and Sony. There exists a crucial gap between the sensor resolutions of the FH3 (14MP) and A99 (24MP) and the FH3 (1/2.3") and A99 (Full frame) use different sensor measurements.

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The FH3 was introduced 3 years earlier than the A99 and that is quite a serious gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras offer different body type with the Panasonic FH3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A99 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before delving straight into a full comparison, below is a simple summary of how the FH3 scores vs the A99 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH3 and Sony SLT-A99. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic FH3 Gallery and Sony A99 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to lug around your camera, you'll have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic FH3 offers physical measurements of 98mm x 55mm x 24mm (3.9" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 165 grams (0.36 lbs) whilst the Sony A99 has dimensions of 147mm x 111mm x 78mm (5.8" x 4.4" x 3.1") and a weight of 812 grams (1.79 lbs).

Check the Panasonic FH3 and Sony A99 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the FH3 compared to the A99.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FH3 and A99 is 94 and 57 respectively.

Normally, it's tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements just by reading through technical specs. The graphic here may offer you a much better sense of the sensor sizing in the FH3 and A99.

As you have seen, both of those cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FH3 having a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Sony A99 will give greater detail using its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop pics a little more aggressively. The older FH3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor technology.